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BPW‘s Customer Magazine
Issue Two 2014
we think transport
rethinking transport and mobility
Rubrik
Editorial
Dear Readers,
“we think transport“ – this is the guiding principle for the IAA
Commercial Vehicles by which the BPW Group has formulated
its aims for the future: How can the potential of the trailer be used
even more effectively to make tomorrow‘s mobility safer and more
efficient? What solutions are available for shaping companies‘
processes even more efficiently from loading and transport through
to scheduling? What will logistics be like in the future?
These are topics that we address not only in this edition of trailer
world, but on a daily basis so we can present solutions for our
customers that will offer them real added value. For this purpose,
we have to think in the way that transport business stakeholders
think – and above all, we need to think ahead. In this way, as
partners, we will be able to take new approaches and develop
innovations to provide a specific competitive edge within a dynamic
transport and logistics sector.
As a strong group of companies with specialists in the areas of
fastening systems, superstructure technology, composite technology,
lighting systems and telematics, we employ our expertise to
enable you to achieve optimum mobility worldwide, and offer
you a complete system from a single source. The best example
for this is the merger between the telematics providers Funkwerk
eurotelematik GmbH and idem GmbH to form idem telematics
GmbH; through this step, we have combined the worlds of truck
and trailer telematics data. As a result, we are the first provider to
offer you a system that covers the entire tractor-trailer unit as a
complete telematics solution.
With this in mind, let‘s work together for “Driving the future“,
true to the IAA motto.
I hope you enjoy reading this trailer world!
Carlo Lazzarini, member of the Board of Management
e-mail:
[email protected]
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Issue Two 2014
Contents
08 Title
The future in our heads
Three well-known futurologists draw up scenarios for the
transport business of tomorrow.
14 Telematics
The best of both worlds
The pharmaceuticals logistics company, Frigo-Trans, uses the
combination of telematics applications in its trucks and trailers.
18 Telematics
Greater transparency and more
up to date
Telematics applications also play an important role during
the loading and unloading process.
21 Innovation
Everything under control?
A roof lift system from HESTAL with integrated sensor will
send information automatically to the cockpit in future.
24 BPW Group
we think
A strong community with a varied range of specialists:
Great minds of the BPW Group in conversation.
27 Agriculture
Full speed ahead
Weber‘s green boat trailers are a familiar sight for many boat
owners: The harbour trailers from the family-owned firm
epitomise durability and secure boat storage.
30 International
The town rising from the waves
Off the coast of Nigeria, the “Eko Atlantic” project is taking
shape. In the thick of it: Meiller, the Munich-based tipper
specialist.
34 Fokus
»We want to give students a helping hand.«
To enable them to concentrate effectively on their studies,
BPW is supporting young people with the company’s own
bursary scheme.
picture gallery
video/audio
link
Photos (from top): Oliver Felchner, Nicke Johansson, Getty Images, Weber Mechanische Werkstätte - Bodman
Title: DVV
21
35 Imprint
30
28
04 The photo
06 Panorama
08
27
Issue Two 2014 3
The photo
The mega cities of the future
Illustration: Siemens
Futurologist Dr. Ulrich Eberl describes
tomorrow‘s urban living like this: By the year
2050, almost as many people will be living in
cities as are alive on the entire planet today.
Cities with 30, 40, 50 million inhabitants will
be by no means exceptional any longer. To a
large extent, the energy will come from highly
efficient gas power plants, wind turbines, solar
panels on roofs and façades, hydroelectric
power and geothermal energy – and it will be
used much more effectively than today thanks
to sensors and intelligent distribution networks.
Many electric vehicles will be driving on the
roads, frequently autonomously as robots on
wheels.
”Mobility on demand“ is what it‘s all about:
All means of transport, from public transport
through to rented bicycles, will be excellently
networked and able to be booked as required via
smartphone. Farms in skyscrapers, intelligently
distributed logistics centres, intelligent labels,
3-D printers within reach and transport drones
in the air will ensure a reliable supply of goods
of all kinds to the population.
4
Ausgabe Eins 2012
Ausgabe Eins 2012 5
Panorama
Smartphone makes BPW Service
mobile throughout Europe
Users can call for service from BPW particularly quickly and
easily using an app on their smartphone as well: With BPW
Mobile for iOS and Android, you can find a service centre at
any time, anywhere in Europe, and you always have important
documents ready at hand. Using various search functions such
as Direct Service or Around me, the app searches for the right
service centre in a particular town or in the immediate vicinity.
On request, the app also calculates the route there straight
away so that the user can obtain direct practical assistance as
quickly as possible.
In addition, BPW provides important documents via the free
app, such as installation and operating instructions, brochures, spare parts lists, warranty documents, reference
times, product overviews, maintenance regulations or workshop manuals. Furthermore, users can also call up current
product and company news at any time on their smartphone

Alternative drive technologies will only be able to establish
themselves in road freight in the
long term. This is the sobering
conclusion drawn by scientists
from the Fraunhofer Institute for
Material Flow and Logistics as
part of the “Green Logistics” research project. According to this,
there is a whole range of potential
alternatives to the diesel engine,
but in practice they do not play an
important role yet. The required
fuel infrastructure will have to be
expanded significantly if this is
to be changed. At the same time,
the researchers believe, a changeover would be hardly worthwhile
for transport companies from an
economic perspective, or would
actually return a loss.
BPW once again »Best Brand«

6
Issue Two 2014
Thomas Paul Göttl of the ETM publishing house handed over the
award to Dr. Bert Brauers.
First place for BPW again:
Votes cast by the readers
of the magazines “trans
aktuell”, “lastauto omnibus”
and “Fernfahrer”, Bergische
Achsen KG was once again

chosen as the winner in the
“Trailer Axles” category.
This means the company
has taken the top spot eight
times in a row.
This was the tenth time that
the award had been given to
the favourites amongst the
brands. As a result, the award
is becoming increasingly
prominent, as a judgement
of the readers about companies and products, especially
component manufacturers,
the components industry and
service providers.
Dr. Bert Brauers, member of
the Board of Management at
BPW, received the award in
Stuttgart: “We are delighted that the commitment
shown by all colleagues
has been reflected in this
award chosen by readers of
the magazines. We will also
work hard in future to justify
the confidence and appreciation placed in us.”
Photos: BPW, DVV, ufotopixl10 – fotolia.com, idem telematics, wasabii – fotolia.com
Alternatives
need time
with BPW Mobile. The application is available for free in German, English, French, Russian and Turkish from the BPW
website at www.bpw.de, from the Apple iTunes Store and the
Google Play Store.
future
in
The
our heads
8
Issue Two 2014
Title
How will we live tomorrow? What influences on society, business, politics and
the environment will be relevant three, five or seven years from now? And what
will this mean for the transport industry, for logistics and haulage in Germany,
Europe and worldwide? Three well-known futurologists draw up different
scenarios in trailer world. Companies can benefit from these ideas in order to
safeguard their success tomorrow.
Illustrations: Akindo – Getty Images, DVV
I
n China “only” one in twenty people
owns a car, whereas in Germany the figure is one in two. However, China’s cities
are already plagued by traffic jams and pollution emissions: “Due to the extreme particulate values, the Chinese Academy for
Social Sciences recently declared Beijing to
be ‘unsuitable for human life’,” says Dr. Ulrich Eberl, futurologist and head of innovation communication at Siemens AG. “What
would happen if the Chinese wanted to be
just as mobile as the Germans?”
Futurologists such as Ulrich Eberl want
to answer questions like these. The pioneering thinkers develop scenarios for tomorrow,
indicating directions and possibilities. Of
course, there is no guarantee that what they
describe will come true. However, their ideas
can be useful for companies today in setting
course for economic success tomorrow.
Transport
Dr. Ulrich Eberl is convinced that the
world’s demand for transport will continue to grow in future – and not only in
individual transport but also through increasing globalisation in industry which
will drive growth in goods traffic and the
demand for individual mobility solutions.
For the scientist, the only solution can
be a combination of several innovations:
“Electric and hybrid vehicles with electricity from renewable resources, intelligently distributed logistics centres in the
cities and on their outskirts, more use of
the rails for transporting goods and – in
many cases such as transporting medicines – also involving aerial drones.”
With regard to individual mobility,
the key term is “mobility on demand”:
In future, it will be increasingly important to use mobility packages instead of
owning vehicles. The objective is to network all means of transport: whether
buses and railways or rented bicycles and
electric cars. Via smartphone and Internet, the user will continuously receive
the latest information about the traffic
situation and will know what the best
means of transport is for getting from
A to B as quickly and cost effectively as
possible.
Issue Two 2014 9
Title
»In future, transport and loading processes will have to be even safer and more
transparent. However, maximum efficiency throughout the logistics chain could allow
companies to make their everyday transport business more efficient. For example, it is
important to minimise downtimes, improve vehicle capacity utilisation and, above all,
avoid driving empty.«
Ralf Merkelbach, Manager Fleet Support Services at BPW
In addition, there are urban planning
solutions such as the “districts with short
distances”, in which everything – from
medical practices through to restaurants
and businesses for everyday requirements
as well as sporting facilities and nurseries – can quickly be reached on foot. Also,
more teleworking will be possible thanks
to broadband connections: “Many services from product design through to medical
diagnosis using laboratory data or computer images will be able to be carried out
just as effectively at home in the future as
in the office,” says Eberl, whose book “Future 2050” (published by Beltz & Gelberg)
provides a comprehensive forecast for life
in tomorrow’s world. Even when rapid
repairs are required, it is not always necessary to send components on their way:
In future, 3-D printers will also be able to
produce locally. Even today, this is possible not just with plastics, but also with super-strong special steel used in the repair
of gas turbines, such as in steam-powered
power stations: Defective burners for particular turbine types will simply be reprinted.
the future by about 20 or 30 years – microchips above all else will contribute to boosting their performance by a factor of many
thousand compared to today. “What a 500
euro notebook can do today, a small chip
worth 50 cents will do then,” says Eberl.
“In future, as a result, there will be tiny
sensor and communications elements in
everything: in houses and cars which will
drive autonomously and without accidents
as driving robots, continuously updating
their programmes to the latest status with
software updates.”
Growth in the transport volume and
goods transport would make clever logistic
Technological innovations
The future will deliver many new technologies, and existing ones will continue to
develop unceasingly: “Thanks to computer
intelligence, factories will become extremely flexible, at the same time as being able to
produce with high levels of automation,”
thinks Dr. Ulrich Eberl. Furthermore – although this involves looking further into
10
Issue Two 2014
solutions essential for our national economies. “For example, we want the products
that we need every day to be available not
only quickly and cost effectively, we also
often want to know how they have been
produced and transported, and what environmental pollution they have caused on
their way to us,” says the expert. Intelligent
labels with electronic product memory and
sensors that measure the transport routes
and environmental influences could do a
lot in this direction and, for example, they
already document a continuous cold chain
for foodstuffs or medicines today. “They
generate, process and communicate a lot
of data – about the products themselves or
their transport history – and will thus cause
massive changes in the logistics sector.”
Services and
new business models
Dr. Ulrich Eberl
RFID, cloud computing, big data –
these are in some cases only new words
for innovations that are already changing the logistics sector now. “Companies will always be faced by the question
of whether innovations such as these
Title
24
h
»One central aspect with regard to competitiveness of haulage companies is
networking vehicles with scheduling as effectively as possible, for example via
telematics. This makes it possible to respond in good time using individually
configured alarm messages, even in emergencies, or to plan service stops as
effectively as possible in the course of predictive maintenance«
Photos: Axel Griesch, DVZ
Frank Simon, Director Overseas Sales at BPW
make sense for them, and also when, if
ever, they will introduce them,” explains
Dr. Christian Kille, professor for commercial logistics and operations management at the University for Applied Sciences in Würzburg-Schweinfurt (FHWS).
On the one hand, logistics, which is a
very traditional industry, will have to become more transparent, he says. “On the
other hand, high investments of course
represent barriers for decisions such as
these.” This represents a challenge for the
developers who are launching the technology onto the market, since they need
to answer a simple question for their customers: “What business model is possible
with this technology?”
Service provision is undergoing a reorientation: “The product and the service
are merging increasingly,” explains Prof.
Kille. The iPhone would not be successful
as it is without apps, most probably. And
someone who orders a book from a large
online retailer can select gift-wrapping
for the article with a simple mouse click.
“Confidence in service providers is
growing increasingly, and this is opening
up new areas of business for them,” says
Kille. This is because more responsibility
is being transferred to companies: For example, a logistics company based in Belgium not only delivers the laptops from a
major computer manufacturer, it also sets
them up in advance according to the individual orders by German customers. “The
trend is for customers’ wishes to be taken
into account as late as possible in the production process.”
At the same time, many companies
are increasingly concentrating on their
core expertise in their particular sectors.
“Commercial and industrial business are
considering what they can do best, just
like logistics companies,” explains Kille.
Prof. Dr. Christian Kille
Haulage companies that may have owned
vehicles, a warehouse and operated an IT
department completely within their company in the past are now asking themselves whether they really need their own
fleet if they can organise the corresponding chains well and rent the vehicles. A
warehouse or an IT department can also
be outsourced to service providers. “Even
today, many shipping companies do not
own any of their own ships,” says Kille.
“Their expertise lies in finding the appropriate service providers.”
Increasing state influence
Kille is also convinced that state influence over the logistics sector will continue to grow in future: firstly in the form of
stricter conditions with regard to hygiene,
transport of foodstuffs or road tolls, for example. This is presenting transport companies with additional challenges. Secondly,
subsidy programmes and new requirements
due to globalisation are exerting a greater
influence, amongst other things regulations on imports and customs. Markets and
companies that are operating there should
be protected, as a result of which bilateral
agreements are being concluded to an increasing extent. “For companies, this can
mean that they export less and thus transport more things within their own country,
or that they generate more sales because the
logistics company can offer additional services such as processing the formalities for
customs clearance,” explains the expert. In
view of this situation, logistics compaIssue Two 2014 11
Title
»Growth in the export sector involving transporting more and more
goods over longer and longer distances, or increased demand for
e-commerce is leading to greater expectations on logistics and
transport services. Trade, especially with countries outside Europe
such as the CIS countries or Turkey, will continue to grow.«
Dietmar Böser, Director Sales Europe at BPW
Demographic change
Almost everywhere in the world, women
are having fewer children and people are living longer. In future, the global population
will shrink, forecasts Dr. Reiner Klingholz,
Director of the Berlin Institute for Population and Development, and Germany’s best
known demographics expert. “Germany’s
population can also be expected to drop by
about 10 million by the middle of the century.” These figures will have a wide-ranging
influence on the economy and transport. Dr.
Reiner Klingholz explains: “The growth that
we know from the past will not continue in
this way.” It is unclear what effect this will
have on goods transport: On the one hand,
the demand for goods will decline – and
with it also the transport requirement of an
aging and declining population. As a result,
productivity and the prospects for economic
growth will fall. However, Klingholz believes
it is unclear what other factors will influence
transport: “If the global division of labour
12
Issue Two 2014
Risks
Dr. Reiner Klingholz
Globalisation is one of the main influencing factors on social and economic
development. And not only does it offer
many opportunities, it also harbours risks.
The logistics expert Prof. Dr. Christian
Kille regards one risk as being the significant influence of local natural catastrophes on value-added chains, for example:
“If there was an earthquake somewhere 50
years ago, it was usually only of interest
Photo: Sabine Sütterlin
nies can develop new business models.
increases, more groups will have to be transported. Also, online commerce or a change
in population density between urban and rural areas, or the oil price, will influence this
development.”
In his book entitled “Slaves of growth”
(published by Campus), the expert describes
how growth will be decelerated. Indeed,
economic growth rates have been falling in
industrialised nations for decades. For one
thing, this is because growth is easier to
achieve at the start of development. Furthermore, there are saturation effects in wealthy
countries, and demographic change contributes to a further slowdown. “Our entire state
system, the economy, financing of pensions,
financial markets and our principle of running up debts are predicated on growth,”
says Reiner Klingholz. This means our economic system will lose the basis of its existence “slowly but surely”. “All sectors will
have to undergo a change at some point, and
will need to examine how they can live under
these new conditions. Of course, this does
not mean that nothing will be transported
any longer. But it does mean that there will
not be year-on-year growth.” There are already companies who can function effectively without growth: Foundations, cooperatives, artisan firms. Joint stock companies
cannot do that, because their investors expect growth.
Title
»Economic efficiency and climate protection are central factors in the transport
business. Consequently, the goal should be to increase efficiency throughout
the entire transport process by technical innovations such as new propulsion
systems, alternative fuels or lighter materials, at the same time as reducing
pollution and noise emissions.«
Martin Hombitzer, Director Sales Europe at BPW
to the region in question. Now, as part of
globalisation, it may be that a division of
labour has become established in the economy, and there are supply companies.” If
an earthquake occurs in the same region
today, this will have much greater effects
on value-added chains. “As a result, companies are increasingly dependent on solid
risk management and corresponding service providers,” said Kille. “For example, it
is necessary to rely on suppliers in different locations and, in the event of a crisis,
decide with sufficient rapidity that alternative possibilities are going to be used.”
Risks also always arise when companies
do not pay sufficient attention to the competition and revolutionary innovations.
Such innovations can for example involve
products no longer being produced in the
Far East, but once again returning closer to
the consumer, or that Internet businesses
set up their own logistics chains and bring
their goods to the recipients in an entirely different way – maybe even fully automatically with robotic vehicles – or that
many products do not actually have to be
shipped at all any longer because they are
printed locally in 3-D.
Regional political conflicts can impact
on the worldwide economy in the course
of globalisation: “Every machine that is
not bought there, is also one that is not
transported,” says Kille. “There have always been upheavals such as this. Now,
they are not taking place with greater fre-
quency, but they do have more influence.
In the past, hardly anyone was interested
in insignificant events in China. Today,
they can have an impact.”
Environment and climate
The battle against climate change and
ever scarcer natural resources are two of
the greatest challenges of our age. One is
causing a boom in renewable energies, the
other is demanding products and production processes that make efficient use of energy and raw materials, as well as recycling
and environmental services. Awareness has
changed: “The industry knows that sustainability often comes with a price tag at the
beginning, but saves money in the medium term,” says Prof. Dr. Christian Kille. “In
Germany, there are about 70,000 logistics
companies – including a large number of
haulage companies who often cannot afford
to make investments in new trucks, for example, as a matter of course.” Kille believes
that there will be greater focus on sustainability in future when searching for subcontractors, and that these subcontractors will
consequently also have to act in a more sustainable way. “In e-commerce, it can be ex-
pected that sooner or later customers will no
longer be uninterested in which forwarder
has brought the products to their door,” says
Kille. “A new consciousness is also emerging
amongst consumers.”
Kille believes that, in future, greater
speed will be required if companies want to
keep pace with technological developments.
He thinks this applies in the B2C area especially, where it appears that the clocks are
ticking particularly fast. Keywords such as
same-day delivery and just-in-time production are the locomotives of the business.
“You’ve got to keep pace,” says Prof. Dr. Kille
with conviction. “But it is not necessarily
solely a question of speed, but also reliability.” This is precisely what could be at the
heart of all future scenarios for the logistics
business of tomorrow: The ability to innovate is essential as a means of safeguarding
success. However, when it comes to implementing innovations, the industry should
always think about solid work and a responsible approach to entrepreneurship. Understanding transport and developing clever
solutions against this background: That is
the challenge for the future. (jg)
Issue Two 2014 13
Reportage
Telematics
The best of both worlds –
with significant synergy potential
T
heir trailers have already been
equipped with telematics for temperature monitoring for years now, and now
the trucks are also being equipped with a
system from idem telematics to optimise
the logistics processes. The use of telematics systems in transport logistics has been
primarily dependent on the vehicle type to
date. Some systems were purely focused on
the semi-trailer, others rather more on the
truck and specifically the driver. In many
cases, this is justified especially when it is
a matter of dealing with the vehicle’s technical data for evaluation by the responsible
14
Issue Two 2014
fleet manager. However, logistics specialists will see the situation differently: They
are interested in the payload, its condition
(for example the temperature of refrigerated items), the arrival time at the next
stop and similar parameters in the logistics process. Th is is precisely where information from both the truck and the towed
unit is important. For example, if one considers the usual question asked by transport customers, namely the time when a
delivery can be expected to arrive, it is necessary to fi nd out what trailer the load is
on. Then it is a matter of clarifying which
truck is towing this trailer, and where it is
located. Following that, the route of the
truck must be evaluated with the intended stops, taking in account all information
related to the driver – such as mandatory
breaks. Th is example alone indicates that
combining information from the trailer
and the tractor vehicle offers enormous
added value.
In the past, telematics providers have
attempted to achieve these effects by linking sensors on the trailer directly with the
telematics unit in the truck. For example,
there have been additional cables between
Photo & Illustration: Frigo-Trans
The combination of telematics applications in the truck and trailer can offer
significant added value. The pharmaceuticals logistics company, Frigo-Trans
GmbH, is one of the first to use this strong combination.
Telematics
Reportage
With its “Cool Chain Control” concept,
the pharmaceuticals logistics company
Frigo-Trans ensures that all specified
temperature values are maintained in
the cool chain.
the truck-trailer combination for carrying
information “forward” from the back. Alternatively, the data has been transmitted to
the truck by WLAN, Bluetooth or similar
radio technologies. Solutions of this kind
present disadvantages. For one thing, the
information technology of the truck and
trailer must be compatible, thereby ruling out the use of third-party equipment.
For another, when the trailer has been unhitched it can no longer be reached by telematics and consequently it can neither be
located nor can its cargo be monitored.
The best possibilities for optimising business processes are consequently provided
by a dual system comprising a telematics
unit in the truck and in the trailer, such as
the example of the Frigo-Trans transport
company.
System concept for
monitoring temperature
Since it was founded in 1988, Frigo-Trans
GmbH in Frankenthal has concentrated
on transporting products for the pharmaceuticals industry. Although these are not
necessarily frozen products, it is important
for the temperature of the cargo to remain
within specified limits so as to ensure the
quality and effectiveness of the pharmaceuticals. There are three temperature ranges:
the cool range from 2 to 8 °C, the “warm”
range from 15 to 25 °C and the normal
range from 2 to 25 °C. To meet these customer requirements, Frigo-Trans has developed the “Cool Chain Control” system concept which has already won the Cool Chain
Excellence Award several times. For years
now, one important component in this has
been monitoring the temperature in its own
80 refrigerated trailers using a telematics
solution from idem telematics GmbH. This
monitors the locations of the trailers and
their internal temperatures, and sends the
information promptly to headquarters.
“But now we want to optimise the entire logistical processes on the vehicle. And
of course this also includes the trucks and
communication with the driver,” explains
David Keil, project manager at Frigo-Trans.
As a result, the search began for a telematics
system for the trucks that would include not
only a large display for the driver but also
connections to the CAN bus and the digital
tachograph. “At the LogiMAT 2013 show in
Stuttgart, we got in touch with Funkwerk
Issue Two 2014 15
Reportage
Telematics
Frigo-Trans
 The company founded in 1988 develops individual logistics solutions for the
pharmaceuticals industry and supports
its international customers in opening
up new markets. Together with its sister
companies, Frigo-Trans Hellas S.A. and
Frigo-Trans Schweiz GmbH, Frigo-Trans
GmbH today forms the Frigo-Trans
Group which serves all key markets in
western and eastern Europe. In Germany and Greece, the company operates
qualified warehouses with a floor space
of about 45,000 m². Frigo-Trans has a
fleet with 80 trailers and 5 refrigerated
buses, and employs the latest cool chain
technology that specialises in general
cargo (LTL) for the temperature range
from -25 °C to +25 °C.
16
Issue Two 2014
eurotelematik, which has since merged
with the former idem company to make
idem telematics GmbH. Right from the
start of discussions with their employees
about our requirements, we felt that we
were being effectively and expertly advised. Above all, it was important for us
to connect the tractor vehicle telematics
system to the existing trailer system. With
the large, colour 7-inch display as part of
the on-board system, we found precisely
the robust display and operating unit that
we were looking for to display the messages for the driver and navigation,” says David Keil, remembering the selection process that led to equipping the semi-trailer
tractors with suitable on-board units and
displays in autumn 2013. In the vehicle,
the on-board systems were not only connected to the CAN bus and tachograph
connection but also to the sensors on the
driver’s and co-driver’s doors via digital
inputs, as well as an alarm button in the
cab. David Keil explains the reason why:
“In future, we also intend to offer security
transports, which explains why the alarm
button is combined with the telematics.”
Easier communication
with drivers
At the control centre, the truck telematics communicate with the TControl Center
(TCC), which is in turn connected to the
server of the LIS Winsped ERP system via
Photo: Heinz-Leo Dudek, Illustration: idem telematics
The innovative concept consists of a telematics system for the truck that includes not only a
large display for the driver but also connections to the CAN bus and the digital tachograph
as well as a telematics system for the trailer. Both on-board systems communicate with the
TControl Center (TCC). From there the data is sent into the web portals and customer systems.
Telematics
On the display, the driver can read off what the fuelling
situation of the cooling units in the trailer is, amongst
other information.
a web interface, and exchanges order-relevant data with it. The routes for the data
via the TCC data centre open up entirely
new possibilities for data links. For example, the temperature information from the
trailer is sent directly to the on-board system in the truck by the TCC, allowing the
driver to call up this information on the
display. As a result, deviations from nominal parameters are displayed not only at
headquarters and for the dispatcher via the
TCC web portal, but are also automatically
notified to the driver as well.
Another example of the added value
gained by combining truck and trailer
telematics pertains to the monitoring of
the diesel in the trailers for the refrigeration units. It is already a standard proce-
dure in many telematics systems for the
driver to record the grade and quantity of
fuel filled for the truck. However, a telematics system on the refrigerated trailer
does not have this function because of the
lack of an input device. As a result, it was
obvious that the quantity of fuel filled in
the refrigeration unit should also be input via the telematics on-board unit in the
truck. Then the data is provided to the responsible personnel in the trailer department as well. This delivers an additional
benefit and has significantly contributed
to increasing the level of acceptance for
the telematics system amongst drivers,
because in the past, for example, it was
necessary to record information about
fuelling the reefer unit in manual fuel-
ling logs. Schedulers are also thrilled by
the way that the telematics system makes
communication with drivers easier; this
includes automatically transferring and
displaying the driving and break times of
the individual drivers.
However, even more expansions are
planned. “In the mid term, we intend to introduce scanners as well and link the telematics to our WinSped haulage system,”
explains David Keil. “To do this, we need
reliable telematics partners, which is why
we are particularly happy that the leading
companies idem and eurotelematik have
formed idem telematics as part of the BPW
organisation.” (hld)
For more information refer to
www.frigo-trans.eu and www.idemtelematics.com
Issue Two 2014 17
Greater transparency
and more up to date
In the loading and unloading process, telematics applications are playing
an increasingly important role. Hauliers and automobile service providers
appreciate above all paperless order handling and delivery tracking.
18
Issue Two 2014
Telematics
Andreas Mede, head of vehicle
rental (left) and Jörg Meyer,
haulier, place their trust in telematics
solutions from the BPW Group.
Photos: Yasmin Lühring
J
örg Meyer is a haulier from the old
school. When the native of Oldenburg founded Jörg Meyer Transportservice
GmbH (JMTS) in 1984, technical developments such as the use of modern telematics
systems were still pipe dreams. “Back then,
I still used to use the distance tracer on the
road map to measure distances,” remembers the 57 year old business administration
graduate, thinking about how his company
started out. Today, JMTS has a fleet of 30
trucks, employs 50 people and has always
kept pace with technical development.
For about five years now, Jörg Meyer has
been using telematics systems in his entire
fleet of trucks that is used for cold chain
logistics, bulk transport and scheduled
haulage – these systems are chiefly used
for checking the telemetric data of his vehicles as well as for paperless order handling
and tracking shipments. “In the past, each
transport required a paper waybill and I had
to phone the driver to ask whether the shipment had been collected and delivered,” explains the haulier. Today, thanks to a transport management system (TMS) provided
in his rented truck by the automobile service provider Werner Automobil-Dienste
(WAD) from Weyhe near Bremen, he can
check the loading and unloading process
fully automatically.
Destination address is received
automatically in the truck’s
navigation system
A case study from cold chain logistics: A
large deep-freeze logistics company in northern Germany is supposed to transport eight
pallets of frozen beef in an 18-tonne truck to
the warehouse of a supermarket chain. The
scheduler allocates the order from the logistics system to a particular vehicle. The driver
sees the order on the display of the data acquisition unit and confirms it at the push of a
button, so the scheduler knows: the order has
been received. In the warehouse, the driver
takes a photo of the goods as a quality check,
and on his scanner he also has a loading list
and scans the barcode on the pallet so that the
precise packaging item can be registered. The
truck is then loaded at a bay in a tunnel with
special temperature protection. The driver
starts the transport and it is followed all the
way by the telematics system. “Accepting the
order means that the destination address is
also transferred to the truck’s navigation system automatically,” explains Bernd Stiebe
from the Sales department of the telematics
manufacturer, idem telematics GmbH.
During the transport, the haulier has a
complete overview of what is happening: the
position of the truck and trailer (even when
unhitched from one another), speed, tyre
pressure, driver’s times at the wheel as well
as the ETA (estimated time of arrival) when
the truck is expected to reach the supermarket warehouse. If geo-fencing (a kind of area
monitoring in the vicinity of the destination)
has been set up prior to departure, the customer will receive an SMS or e-mail via the
telematics system once the truck has entered
the defined vicinity of its destination. As a result, a particular terminal can be made ready
for unloading, for example. “The scheduler at
the customer can decide which vehicle to unload, when and where,” explains the haulier,
Meyer, describing the increased level of organisation made possible by telematics in the
loading process.
Faster invoicing thanks
to telematics
In the case of a refrigerated transport,
the temperature of the goods is also transmitted even prior to arrival at the destination. It is not allowed to exceed a value of
-18 degrees Celsius, and is checked in real
time throughout the entire transport by
telematics. If there is an excessive deviation, an alarm message is sent to the
Issue Two 2014 19
Telematics
Telematics applications
enable loading and unloading
times to be monitored more
effectively.
scheduler at the haulage company or the
customer, which can be via SMS or e-mail
as required. “In cold chain logistics, the requirements on refrigeration performance
have increased enormously. Without real
time information, drivers would often not
realise if the temperatures in their refrigeration equipment were to increase,” observes
Andreas Mede, head of vehicle rental at
WAD. For example, hauliers have to present
the data on the cold chain at regular intervals to legislative bodies as well. The telematics applications from idem telematics
allow Jörg Meyer to obtain this data from
the chiller, store it conveniently on his computer and provide complete documentation. “This creates greater transparency and
is more up to date,” explains the transport
entrepreneur.
Arrival at the supermarket warehouse:
Another barcode scan is performed to
check whether the correct goods have been
delivered in the correct quantity. The signature on the invoice for the eight pallets
of beef is also made by the recipient on the
mobile terminal unit of the driver before
being sent to the haulage company scheduler at the push of a button. Bernd Stiebe
of idem telematics describes the advantage
20
Issue Two 2014
offered by this process: “There is no need
to wait for weeks for the delivery papers, so
you can send an invoice much sooner.” The
company also offers its customers door sensors and closing checks for trucks and trailers as part of the telematics range. In this
way, theft of highly valuable cargoes such
as pharmaceutical products or electronic
components can be prevented, as well as allowing loading and unloading times to be
monitored and optimised more effectively.
If geo-fencing is used to set a range of a few
hundred metres radius, the door can only
be opened for loading and unloading within this range, and depending on the setting
only in communication with the haulage
company scheduler as well. An alarm is
triggered if the door is opened outside the
security zone.
Telematics has long been a
standard feature at WAD
At WAD, the automobile service provider from Weyhe, telematics equipment is a
standard feature in the majority of its fleet
of about 800 rental trucks and trailers, and
this has been the case for a good three years
now. “We have to offer this across the board,
especially in the cold chain sector and with
large fleets,” says Andreas Mede. Small and
medium enterprises above all took a sceptical view of the new applications at the outset,
whereas large sections of the industry now
expect their trucks to be equipped with telematics systems.
To provide even more effective support
to customers in future, WAD has embarked
on the first discussions with a manufacturer of haulage software. The goal is to offer
software and telematics data via a portal so
that the haulier can receive all relevant information at a glance. Andreas Mede would
like the system to be as uniform as possible,
without giving rise to significant additional
work such as various logons for scanner
software and the truck and trailer telematics. As a result, he is pleased that the BPW
subsidiary, idem telematics GmbH, is the
first provider of a system to vehicle operators that covers the entire truck and trailer
unit as a complete telematics solution. “For
us as users, this represents a major step forward,” says the head of the vehicle rental
company. (ys)
For more information about WAD, refer to
www.wernerautomobile.de
Innovation
Everything under control?
In the past, truck drivers were only able to say for certain what the position of their roof
lift system was by getting out of the cab and checking the setting themselves. A roof lift
system of the HESTAL brand from the BPW subsidiary F. Hesterberg & Söhne GmbH
& Co. KG with an integrated sensor will in future send this information to the cockpit
automatically.
Photo: Lothar Zimmermann
H
eadlines such as “Truck rams bridge” or “Semitrailer stuck
in underpass” are by no means rare in the daily newspapers.
Time and time again, exceedingly annoying and costly collisions
occur if a semitrailer is simply too high to fit under an obstacle. Accident black spots even attract popular names, for example there is
a railway bridge over Wilhelmstraße in the city of Hamm in Westphalia that locals call the “Idiots’ Bridge”. It is not rare for several
truck accidents to take place there every month, and for all kinds of
reasons: inattention by drivers, failure to notice information signs
or lack of local knowledge. There are no exact figures about the
number of accidents that occur nationwide, but it cannot be disput-
ed that many haulage companies have already been confronted by
avoidable accidents of this nature.
Greater safety can be achieved by route planning that avoids
such low bridges and underpasses – and of course with the knowledge of how tall the semitrailer actually is. Th is applies in particular to trailers with a lift ing roof. “The desire to minimise the
accident risks when driving under bridges led to the idea of adding a sensor to our tried and tested Lift Master roof lift system,
and for it to be integrated into ground-breaking telematics structures,” explains Michael Klatt, head of Product Development at
F. Hesterberg & Söhne GmbH & Co. KG. The Lift Master was
Issue Two 2014 21
Innovation
Mode of function at a glance
 At the beginning of the loading procedure, the roof is
raised mechanically or hydraulically using the LiftMaster
with sensing, each unit of which is located in the corners of
the body. The integrated sensor sends a signal to a display in
the cab and – if a telematics connection from idem telematics
is available – to the haulage company as well. At the end of
the loading procedure, the roof is normally lowered again
and the sensor sends another signal. In this way, the driver
can always check on the particular roof position (raised or
lowered) centrally from the cockpit, and is able to call up this
data both before driving and whilst on the move.
Technical data on the LiftMaster




22
Issue Two 2014
Mechanical or hydropneumatic design
Infinitely variable height adjustment from 300 to 580 mm lift
Roof weight up to 2,000 kg
Narrow, compact design for universal application
Innovation
»We are both a traditional company and a
trendsetter. In the future too, we will provide
added value to our products for users.«
Michael Klatt, head of Product Development
launched ten years ago and has already been installed in hundreds
of thousands of trailers, but is now combined with reliable sensor
technology.
Automatic information for the cockpit
Photos: Oliver Felchner
The sensor integrated in the Lift Master automatically transmits
a signal as soon as the roof has been raised for the loading procedure, or when it is lowered again after loading. The signal from the
sensor is processed digitally for this purpose using a converter box
that has also been newly developed. At the same time, this meets
the requirements for the sensor-monitored roof height monitoring
system to be directly integrated into telematics systems from the
BPW subsidiary, idem telematics GmbH. “The system continuously supplies a clear and central information stream about the roof
status which the driver can view using a display in the cockpit. The
telematics solution from idem telematics also enables the information to be called up centrally by the haulage company,” explains Johannes Otte, mechatronics project manager at Hesterberg.
This means it will be almost impossible to drive off inadvertently
with the roof raised in future. However, it is more than a question of
safety: The roof height monitoring is also important in cross-border
transport. Different legal requirements in European countries regarding the permitted overall height mean that the driver has to adjust the
roof lift before starting a journey. The automatic information can contribute to ensuring that this adaptation will not be forgotten in future.
Transparency for greater safety
The further development of the tried and tested Lift Master lift
system thus delivers a three-fold benefit: During transport, it offers
complete transparency at all times for the driver and the haulage
company, allowing greater safety and more efficiency. After all, in-
advertently driving with the roof raised not only increases fuel consumption but also emissions – a factor that should not be neglected.
By avoiding this mistake in everyday transport it is possible to reduce both pollution emissions and costs. Furthermore, integrating
the sensor-monitored Lift Master can be done in a straightforward
manner. The solution will be available from the start of 2015 both
for the mechanical and the hydraulic roof lift system from HESTAL. It will even be possible to retrofit the sensor technology to
trailers with an existing Lift Master.
Further development stages are planned
Hesterberg, the specialist for body technology and a member
of the BPW Group, regards the roof height control as a jumping-off point for further telematics applications. “We are both a
traditional company and a trendsetter. In the future too, we want
our products to create greater transparency and safety in the
transport and loading processes,” says Michael Klatt. The next
expansion stages of the sensor-monitored roof lift system are already in planning: As the second step, it should be possible to
determine the current vehicle height in metres and centimetres,
and to transmit the absolute numerical value to the cockpit indicator. The third expansion stage of the intelligent system is intended to link the height information to the navigation system
via telematics. “In this way, the driver could automatically be given appropriate route suggestions that are suitable for the actual
roof height, if we are thinking about the topic of driving under
bridges,” explains Johannes Otte. Active alarms are also planned,
he continues, if the permitted roof height is lower following a
border crossing. As a result, it can be hoped that we will no longer
have to read headlines such as “Truck collides with bridge” so
frequently in the future. (os)
More information about HESTAL, the brand from F. Hesterberg & Söhne & Co. KG,
can be found at www.hestal.de
Issue Two 2014 23
BPW Group
Brainy people with innovative ideas (from left):
Kim Villadsen (HBN-Teknik, CEO), Carlo Lazzarini (BPW, member of the Board of Management),
Dr. Bert Brauers (BPW, member of the Board of Management), Dirk Miesen (Hesterberg, CEO) and
Erik Graversen (Transport-Teknik, CEO). Not in the picture: Pete Jendras (idem telematics, CEO)
24
Issue Two 2014
we think
BPW Group
The BPW Group is a strong community with highly
diverse specialists. The brains of this think tank explain
how the cooperation succeeds.
Photo: FUENF6 GmbH
trailer world: BPW has clearly changed how
it understands itself. What is the reason for
this?
Carlo Lazzarini: The demands facing our
industry are changing. The pace of the business is quickening, it is becoming more international, statutory regulations are getting
stricter and, at the same time, the pressure on
costs continues to grow. This has significant
effects on everyone involved: on fleet operators and vehicle manufacturers. We need
new solutions because the old ones will no
longer function unrestrictedly. We are adapting to this by combining the expertise that
we have available in the BPW Group.
What advantages do your customers derive from the companies in the BPW Group
working together more closely than previously?
Carlo Lazzarini: We have set ourselves the
goal of supporting transport companies with
flexible, easy-to-maintain and individual
solutions. This is possible because our technologies interact with regard to their functions, thereby providing significantly greater
benefits for customers. In addition, we offer
a large number of services ranging from consulting and training through to maintenance
contracts. With this overall offer, we support
hauliers in carrying out their transport obligations as safely and efficiently as possible.
This is what we mean by a mobility partnership.
We help our direct customers, the vehicle
manufacturers, as a system partner through
our range of tailor-made components from
a single source; as a result, they are able to
meet the needs of their customers, the haulage companies, as effectively as possible and
thereby increase their competitiveness. At
the same time, the system partnership can
contribute to optimising manufacturing processes.
What advantages do you derive from this?
Dr. Bert Brauers: The close cooperation
means that we can make optimum use of the
potential that is in our individual product
areas. Particularly the possibilities provided
to us by components equipped with sensor
systems, in other words the information that
we can obtain from these components, can
only be made really useful for customers by
means of telematics. The perfect interplay
between running gears and bodies equipped
with sensors together with scalable and user-friendly telematics means that BPW offers
vehicle operators a balanced product portfolio that is unique throughout the industry,
enabling them significantly to improve the
transparency and safety of their transport
and loading processes.
Dirk Miesen: A good example of this is electromechanical door locking that we are implementing together with BPW and idem
telematics. We at Hesterberg are contributing
a door and locking system together with one
of our partners. Telematics from idem telematics enable the monitoring of door activities:
For one thing, the information about where
the vehicle is currently located is available in
real time, while for another the telematics can
also be used for locking and unlocking
Issue Two 2014 25
BPW Group
What are the strengths of your company,
where is your USP?
Pete Jendras: We deliver information precisely to where it is needed: the driver and
the haulage company. For this purpose, we
evaluate the data from the vehicle and process it so that it provides the transport company with targeted information, enabling the
appropriate action to be taken.
The current format of idem telematics
GmbH means that we have a broad portfolio covering the entire tractor/trailer unit,
and thereby meeting all of the customer’s requirements: Telematics systems for precise
control of mobile units and flexible solutions
for monitoring towed units. Integration into
business processes opens up enormous possibilities for transport and logistics companies to improve the safety and transparency
of their loading and transport processes. This
ranges from quality management in the area
of cold-chain transports through to technical
evaluations from the trailer chassis and even
engine management of the tractor vehicle.
In addition, there are logistics applications
for drivers covering all aspects of orders and
navigation as well as personalised applications that are integrated into the customer’s
own IT systems. idem telematics has plenty
of experience and industry knowledge to offer everything from a single source.
Where do you think the particular strengths
of the Group lie?
Erik Graversen: For us at TransportTeknik, the advantages are obvious: BPW is
a strong brand with an excellent reputation
26
Issue Two 2014
Pete Jendras
Kim Villadsen
in the international transport business; it has
a wide range of products comprising items
from the individual companies, which enable us to attract greater attention from our
customers. We are an independent provider of lighting systems, but we are also part
of the highly successful, global BPW Group.
In addition, BPW has a global presence with
its many service centres. This means spare
parts are available everywhere, and customers do not have to wait long. That is important for hauliers.
How, specifically, do you organise the cooperation: Are there regular meetings or something similar?
Kim Villadsen: The distance between Denmark and Germany is less than it appears.
We maintain good and continuous contact
with BPW in Wiehl, and also with the other
companies. Our development departments
are constantly coordinating their activities, and work intensively with one another. Furthermore, there are regular meetings
between the companies of the BPW Group,
many of them held in Wiehl. I believe that
all of us benefit from the close coordination,
especially our customers. For example, our
air tanks form part of the BPW running gear
systems. Here, our composite technology
provides significant advantages because of its
lower weight. The fact that our alternatives
to steel and aluminium air tanks are known
throughout the industry is significantly due
to the market penetration achieved by BPW.
Your work focuses on customers and the
challenges that their companies face every
day: How do you identify the decisive topics,
and how do you develop solutions for them?
Carlo Lazzarini: The customer is always the
key factor. Through close contact with our cus-
Dirk Miesen
Carlo Lazzarini
tomers, we work together to develop new solutions that offer a bright future, and make transport companies able to offer specific competitive advantages in the dynamic transport and
logistics sector. We can only achieve effective
solutions by being close to the user, and on a
worldwide footing as well. This applies to our
customer consultants and Sales, as well as our
service centres and the Development department. Only when all of them share the objective of putting themselves in the shoes of haulage companies and adopting the same mind
set, i.e. beyond the here and now, can we create true added value – for transport companies
and vehicle manufacturers.
What synergy effects are you hoping for in
the future?
Dirk Miesen: I think there will be synergy
effects on several levels. It goes without saying that as a relatively small company, we
benefit from BPW’s market position. However, this is “only” a positive side effect. The important thing is what we can achieve together
for the users of our technologies. The interaction between our components and information from the vehicle enable us to create
much more freedom of action for transport
companies.
Dr. Bert Brauers: We want to support our
customers as effectively as possible. As a result, we are consistently expanding our range
with useful functions based on sensor systems.
All the sectors are working together here: the
running gear and bodies equipped with sensors, as well as telematics. As a result, we are
currently creating significant added value for
transport companies, and the perspective is
for greater benefits in the future as well. We
are convinced that expanding the range of
functions as we are developing them will become ever more important in future.
Dr. Bert Brauers
Erik Graversen
Photos: BPW, Markus Hausschild
the door so as to protect the payload against
unauthorised access. All door activities are recorded, and are available online for a period of
18 months.
Agriculture
Full speed
ahead
Photo: GHotz – fotolia.com
Always sailing into the sun with a
fair wind in the sails: Every summer,
there is lively sailing and motorboat
activity on Lake Constance. The
boats are transported to the water
on harbour trailers such as those
from Weber, for example.
A
nyone in Germany or Scandinavia who is considering a possibility for transporting their boat is highly likely to end up talking to us,” says Berthold Weber calmly. He is the second-generation
owner of the family firm of the same name based in Bodman-Ludwigshafen on Lake Constance, the name of which was Lake Bodman for a while during the Middle Ages. The “green trailers from
Weber” are a familiar concept to boat owners. “Our harbour trailers
stand for durability and safe storage of boats,” says Weber. As an
experienced sailor, he knows: “A boat has got to withstand its time
out of water undamaged as well.”
Prompted by the location of his company directly on the lakeside, the founder of the company, Willi Weber, started building
harbour trailers in the 1960s, during the boom time for sports
boats. He wanted them to be durable and long-lasting, offering
Issue Two 2014 27
Agriculture
The “green trailers from Weber” are a brand – not only on Germany’s largest lake.
their owners a convenient possibility for
storing their boats over winter. The idea
proved a success: “We have many customers who are now on their second or third
trailer from us,” says Berthold Weber with
pleasure. For him, it is highly important
that Weber products should not wear out.
“In principle, a 30 year old harbour trailer
can be used in just the same way as a two
year old one.”
Weber’s main markets are Germany and
Scandinavia, followed by the neighbouring country of Switzerland and consumers
in Australia or the USA. “Basically, we sell
everywhere through the boatyards,” says
Weber, a qualified mechanical engineer.
“We’ve even got some dealers in Greenland.”
But all of the boats have one thing in common: “They are getting bigger and bigger.
When we started, a boat from three up to
four tonnes was rather large.” In the meantime, Weber’s harbour trailer assortment extends up to a load capacity of thirty tonnes.
28
Issue Two 2014
»When we started
out, a boat of three to
four tonnes was
rather large.«
Berthold Weber, company owner
Guarantee of reliability Time to talk
about money: A Weber trailer has a price tag
in the four-figure euro range. On the other
hand, the boat being transported may be
many times that value. “They are fortunes
on four wheels,” is how Weber describes it.
“That is also a reason why we place great
value on reliability.”
The key components in guaranteeing this
reliability are in particular the axle stubs,
brakes and overrun hitches. BPW supplies
these components to Weber in grand style.
Interesting: The axles are from BPW’s agricultural segment. And this is precisely
where Weber has its roots. The company
is located in the midst of a fruit growing
area with direct access to Lake Constance,
and receives an extensive range of products
from BPW. “In the agricultural segment, we
are able to work out customer-specific solutions especially for what we call low-speed
trailers,” says Peter Csank, Agricultural
Market Sales BPW.
Agriculture
Berthold Weber grew up sailing. He
knows what is important – when sailing,
during transport from A to B and also for
secure storage over the winter. “It has always been my life – and it remains so today,” explains the man from Bodman
(“With one n!”, since most Germans would
expect it to be written with two). The competitive edge achieved after building harbour trailers for 50 years is what Weber
describes as a significant strength of his
company.
Weber’s wife and three adult children
help out in the family firm. “My two oldest
children studied mechanical engineering
and information technology, the third one
is a prospective economist. One day, they
could take over management of the company, all together or individually,” says the
father with conviction. In the here and now,
the Weber company recently expanded its
premises by 1,500 square metres to a total
of 4,000. The out-and-out production area
will be around 2,000 square metres when
the expansion is completed.
Sights set on future markets In addition to familiar harbour trailers, system
solutions for boatyards and port facilities
throughout Europe are now being designed and manufactured. These include,
for example, hydraulic lift systems specially designed for service companies in the
boat transport and storage business. “Only
by having these systems is it possible to
offer efficient and cost-effective boat storage,” explains Weber. “We also offer special
fabrications such as self-propelled trailers,
which is a technology that is interesting for
logistics terminals, amongst other clients.”
The company boss does not have to worry
about market saturation, however. Anyone
who buys a boat will err on the side of caution when it comes to transporting it. In-
dividuality plays a decisive role here. “Harbour trailers are tailor-made products for
the particular boat,” emphasises Weber.
On the subject of harbour trailers:
Originally, the ones from Weber were
blue, or more precisely: navy blue. Today,
they are green, or more precisely: Reseda
green, and to be even more specific: their
colour code is RAL 6011. “The authorities
in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg
wanted that,” remembers Weber. At the
time, the boatyards set up their sheds on
open fields – that was at the end of the
1960s. “Then, the governmental authorities requested them to be painted green so
they would blend in better.” Weber complied with this request. And today? “Today, we won’t shift from using the green
colour,” says Weber. “It has become our
calling card.” (tof)
For more Informationen about the company, refer to
www.weber-bodman.de
Photos: Weber Mechanische Werkstätte, Bodman
Weber Mechanische Werkstätte
 The company Weber Mechanische Werkstätte was founded in 1946 by
Willi Weber in Bodman-Ludwigshafen. Even during its initial period, it developed patented products such as seed drills and wheel hubs for trailers,
and manufactured them in large quantities. Because of the company‘s location in one of the largest fruit growing areas north of the Alps, they started
building the first spraying machines in the 1960s. The first harbour trailers
were also developed during this period. After management of the company
passed to the son Berthold in 1989, production of the harbour trailers became increasingly international. From being a company with two employees, Weber has developed into an internationallyoriented niche player with a workforce of 15 at present, earning annual sales of more than 3 million euros.
Issue Two 2014 29
International
The town rising from
30
Issue Two 2014
International
the waves
A vision becomes reality: Off the coast of
Nigeria, in Lagos, “Eko Atlantic” is rising
from the sea. The project with a 9 billion
US dollar price tag is a peninsula built on
sand, and is intended to become Africa’s
latest financial metropolis by 2016. In
the thick of it: Meiller, the Munich-based
tipper specialist.
Photo: Nicke Johansson
F
or Matthew Ude, one loaded truck tour per day is realistic. He
has been driving trucks in Nigeria, Western Africa, since 1978.
Ude has seen many colleagues come and go, and has been able to
get to know large parts of Nigeria through his work. For about two
or three years now, however, he has only been driving in convoys
and exclusively during the day. The danger of being flagged down
by robbers at night has become too great. Together with up to twelve
colleagues, he drives the two or three hour trip between a quarry in
the jungle close to Ibadan and the “Great Wall in Lagos” – the visionary “Eko Atlantic” project which is an artificial peninsula arising from the sea. Matthew Ude is able to be part of this project. His
truck moves enormous granite blocks intended to protect the new
portion of the city jutting into the sea against damage by the waves.
“It’s simply gigantic,” gushes Günter Schmidt. “It’s reminiscent of the Palm Island in Dubai”, says the West Africa expert.
Schmidt looks after this important market for the Munich-based
tipper manufacturer, Meiller, which includes this “out of the ordinary” project. “We have supplied 80 units so far,” says Schmidt.
He is referring to tipping semitrailers. It is easy to explain how
they differ from normal tippers: “A tipper is fi rmly mounted on
a vehicle. They can often be seen on roads in Germany. A tipping
semitrailer, on the other hand, can be unhitched and is pulled by
a separate tractor vehicle,” in the specific project, these tractor vehicles are obtained from MAN or Volvo. Both of them are clients
of Meiller.
Issue Two 2014 31
International
Matthew Ude is sitting in a 400 hp Volvo, although its speed
is limited to 75 km/h because of the poor road conditions. Ude
praises the perfect steering, good brakes and balanced driving
properties – even with ultra-heavy payloads. The Meiller tipping
semitrailer can accept up to 30 cubic metres. Granite blocks each
one and a half metres in size are transported off the coast of Nigeria for the “Great Wall of Lagos” which extends over about eight
kilometres. As well as the weight, the volume is also decisive.
The exceedingly tough Meiller tipping semitrailers are equipped
with BPW axles. The axles supplied by BPW, referred to as balance
beam axles (ECO Cargo W suspension), have to withstand a great deal,
and smooth out some rough roads. “The challenges involve tipping itself and, of course, the extremely poor road conditions,” says Schmidt
knowingly. The maximum height in tipped position is just under ten
metres. And good roads? You won’t find any such in Lagos. In the
transport juggernaut that is Lagos, there is only one main road, traffic
jams are everyday occurrences, and Lagos is growing day by day.
Drastic contrasts The new peninsula is intended to be a total
contrast; it will be the new Lagos directly adjacent to the Victoria Island district. Eko Atlantic is intended to become the “Dubai
32
Issue Two 2014
of Africa” and develop into Africa’s new financial metropolis by
2016 – in only eight years after the landfilling work started. Soon,
250,000 people are intended to live here, there should be 150,000
jobs and it will be the base for securities trading on the African
stock market – all including an independent electricity and water
supply. Nothing more and nothing less than a luxury district is intended to emerge off the coast of the mega metropolis Lagos with
its 21 million inhabitants.
Finance for this breath-taking project is coming from private
sources. Gilbert Chagoury, an influential businessman from Lebanon, is playing a leading role in this with his South Energy Nigeria Ltd. The most prominent supporter of the project is none other
than former US president Bill Clinton.
Once all the work has been finished, the Eko Atlantic project
will have seized back ten square kilometres of land from the sea.
Reclaiming the masses of sand is the responsibility of the Belgian
dredging specialist, Dredging International, part of the globally active DEME Group. The group founded in 1991 has also been responsible for reclaiming Altenwerder as part of the expansion of
the Hamburg port as well as for man-made building land all around
Singapore.
Photos: Nicke Johansson, Meiller, Grafik: d-maps.com
The granite payloads are
used for building a wall eight
kilometres long intended to
protect the project against
pitiless Atlantic storms.
International
Increased scope of delivthat we equip it with the appropriery Meiller has been fully inate hydraulics for operating the
volved in the Eko Atlantic protrailer,” says Schmidt, providing
ject for two years now. And it is
specific detail.
clear that the project partnership
The protective wall currentNIGERIA
will bear further fruit: “There are
ly being built with Meiller’s help is
plans to increase the scope of deintended to withstand tidal surges
livery,” confirms Schmidt. The
and even one hundred year AtlanAbuja
end-user, the identity of which is
tic storms. That at least according to
not precisely known to Schmidt,
calculations by the Danish Hydrauhas about the same number of tiplic Institute (DHI) in Copenhagen.
Ibadan
ping semitrailers of other brands
Matthew Ude has already made
in service in its fleet, but these are
a
contribution
to the millions of
Lagos
already very old and will have to
tons of rock that have been moved
be replaced. About 150 tipping
so far. And he will continue drivsemitrailers are currently working
ing along gravel jungle tracks
Port Harcourt
on the project. “Half of them are
leading to the quarry, and to the
from us, the other half comprises
“Great Wall of Lagos”, which only
all kinds of brands, some of them Lagos is the fastest growing city in Africa. It is estimated that
has one road leading to it. And
local, some of them older models 21 million people live here.
when he looks in the rear-view
that cannot be precisely defined,”
mirror in his Volvo cab, he will alsays Schmidt. As a result, more than 70 additional Meiller tipping ways see something orange behind: his tipping semitrailer from
semitrailers might be possible.
Meiller. (tof)
Up to now, the company has sold 50 trailers to Volvo and 30 to
For more information refer to www.ekoatlantic.com
as well as www.meiller.com
MAN. “Our involvement in the tractor vehicle is only to the extent
150 km
100 mi
Meiller
 The family firm F.X. Meiller GmbH & Co KG
and the Meiller brand have epitomised highquality products for more than 160 years. The
Munich-based company traditionally provides the building and disposal industries with
a broad spectrum of products ranging from
tipper vehicles, versatile roll-off and lift-off
skip loaders and even innovative electronically
controlled hydraulic systems. The customer
receives steel fabrication, hydraulic systems
and control electronics from a single source.
The four Meiller plants in Europe employ about
1,600 people and generate sales of 273 million
euros (2013).
Issue Two 2014 33
Focus
»We want to give students
a helping hand.«
To enable young people to concentrate effectively on their studies,
BPW has been supporting them with the company‘s own bursary scheme since
1991. The aim is to foster enthusiasm about the company at an early stage.
acked timetables, one lecture after another during the day, costs. The money can be used by the bursary recipients as they see fit;
homework, tests and exams – on many courses in the current they don’t have to pay it back either unless they decide at the end of
Bachelor/Master system nowadays, students have hardly any time their course not to continue working with BPW.
left over for other
Once a year, there
things if they are
is a get-together for
going to get to grips
the bursary students
with the required mawhich is attended by
terial during the regall the participants
ular course length,
in the student burand with good resary scheme in order
sults. Th is means
to exchange views
there is also little
and report on what
scope for a part-time
is happening in their
job in order to earn
courses. In addition,
the money required
this gives them the
to pay the rent, buy
opportunity to find
food and course maout about the latest
terials. If this can’t
developments in the
be done without excompany and to intra income, it is often
tensify their contact
the course work that
with the company
suffers.
management. “At the
To offer young people
moment, we’re thinka helping hand in this
ing about offering
difficult situation, a The purpose of the BPW Studies Support Programme is to produce future employees.
more events throughrange of companies
out the year. However,
are offering bursaries. Usually, this represents a fi nancial contri- these gatherings should not become a burden on top of the full study
bution paid by the companies to selected students on a monthly timetables,” observes Mr. Manall.
basis. At BPW, this type of support has already been in place since
1991. “Support for students goes hand in hand with our university About 60 bursaries Over the past 23 years, the company has
marketing. By taking this approach, not only do we want to give supported a good 60 young people in their studies. The focus
students a helping hand on their course, we also want to attract has been and continues to be on the company’s requirements for
future employees for our company,” says Matthias Manall, human engineering sciences and information technology. New students
resources manager at BPW.
join the scheme every year. The precise number is primarily decided according to future personnel requirements in the company’s
Fixed monthly amount For the internationally active supplier in divisions. However, if a student proves to be especially talented,
the automotive and commercial vehicle industry, support for students then they will also have the chance to take part in the scheme. It
means: a fixed amount per semester in order to cover monthly living starts with a selection process involving an interview – basically
34
Issue Two 2014
Photos: BPW, FUENF6 GmbH
P
Imprint
Rubrik
ISSN: 1619-3784
Publisher:
BPW Bergische Achsen KG
Ohlerhammer
D-51674 Wiehl
»The demand for good
specialists is simply
enormous. It goes without
saying that we try to find
the best people.«
Matthias Manall, human resources manager
Publishing Personnel:
Anne Bentfeld, Nadine Wilhelm
Address:
BPW Bergische Achsen KG
Redaktion „trailer world“
Nadine Wilhelm
Ohlerhammer
D-51674 Wiehl
Phone +49 / (0) 22 62 / 78 – 19 09
Fax +49 / (0) 22 62 / 78 – 49 09
Internet: www.bpw.de
E-mail: [email protected]
Publishing House:
DVV Kundenmagazine GmbH
Nordkanalstraße 36
D-20097 Hamburg
Tel.: +49 / (0) 40 / 237 14-01
Internet: www.dvv-kundenmagazine.de
Publishing Director:
Oliver Detje
Project Coordinator:
Karin Kennedy
Design:
Andreas Gothsch
the same as a normal job application. “Of
course, we’re looking for potential colleagues to join the company in future.
This means it’s important that the participants in the bursary scheme have got
to be right for the company,” says the
human resources manager.
Many of the applicants have already completed an apprenticeship in the company
and they want to use the bursary for continuing their education and improving
their career prospects. They apply through
internal channels. But if someone isn’t already part of the company, they will find all
the information they need on the company
website. BPW also specifically encourages
external applications by publicity at universities. “The demand for good specialists
from the fields of mathematics, IT, natural
sciences and technology is simply enormous. It goes without saying that we try to
find the best people,” explains Manall. To
date, the company has risen magnificently
to one particular challenge: namely that of
attracting a respectable number of female
specialists from engineering science and
IT courses. At present, the female/male
ratio is 40 to 60.
Program assists with starting a career Alongside registering for the student bursary, the second tense moment
comes when it is time for the final exams,
heralding the end of the bursary. At this
point, all bursary students are invited to
attend a meeting at the company to discuss hiring possibilities. Providing the expectations for a future together coincide,
the young colleagues can look forward to
their first real job with the assistance of an
induction program. No-one is forced to
start working at BPW at the end of their
course. “That’s why we’re all the more delighted that almost all the participants
want to stay with us when they finish, because they are convinced our company
represents the right choice,” says Matthias
Manall. (ls)
For more information, refer to
www.bpw.de/en/career/studying-with-bpw
Editorial contributions to this issue:
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Heinz-Leo Dudek (hld), Tim-Oliver Frische (tof),
Juliane Gringer (jg), York Schaefer (ys), Oliver Schönfeld (os),
Lara Sogorski (ls), Nadine Wilhelm (nw), Petra Wurm (pw)
Photos and Illustrations: Credits on Page
Print:
v. Stern‘sche Druckerei, Lüneburg
Print
compensated
Id-No. 1440955
www.bvdm-online.de
trailer world appears twice a year with a total circulation of
18,000 copies in German and English. The publication, its contributions and illustrations are proprietary. Any reproduction
or distribution must be authorised by the publishing house or
the publisher. This also applies to the electronic utilisation,
such as the transfer to data bases, online media (internet),
intranets or other electronic storage media. Publisher and
publishing house exclude the responsibility for photographs,
scripts or other data carriers that are sent without request.
The next edition of trailer world
will appear at the beginning
of May 2015.
Ausgabe Zwei 2014 35
BPW trailer world 11881402 e
BPW Bergische Achsen Kommanditgesellschaft · P.O. Box 1280 · D-51656 Wiehl · Phone +49 2262 78-0 · [email protected] · www.bpw.de

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